Low profile finned heat exchanger

ABSTRACT

Low profile heat exchanger including a fin plate having opposite facing first and second sides and including a plurality of spaced apart elongate fins that extend outward from the first side and define a plurality of elongate passages that are open facing on the second side, and a flat container having spaced apart cover and shim plates sealably joined about peripheral edges thereof and defining a fluid conducting chamber, the container having an inlet opening and an outlet opening in communication with the fluid conducting chamber to permit a fluid to pass into, through, and out of the fluid conducting chamber, wherein the first side of the fin plate is mounted to the shim plate to permit thermal transfer therebetween and the second side of the fin plate is exposed.

LOW PROFILE FINNED HEAT EXCHANGER

[0001] This application claims priority to Canadian Patent ApplicationNo. 2,372,399, filed Feb. 19, 2002.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to low profile finned heatexchangers used for cooling fluid.

[0003] Low profile heat exchangers are typically used in applicationswhere the height clearance for a heat exchanger is quite low, forexample, slush box coolers in snow mobiles, and under-body mounted fuelcoolers in automotive applications. One style of known low profile heatexchangers include a louvred plate that is exposed to air flow, snow andgeneral debris, with a serpentine tube affixed to and passing back andforth across the plate. The fluid to be cooled passes through theserpentine tube. Another style of known low profile heat exchangerincludes fins running transverse to and integrally extruded with top andbottom walls that are connected along opposite side edges to define acavity that is welded shut at opposite ends after extrusion to provide afluid cooling container.

[0004] Known low profile heat exchangers can be heavy and can berelatively expensive to manufacture. Thus, there is a need for a lowprofile heat exchanger that is relatively light weight and relativelycost efficient to manufacture. Also desired is a low profile heatexchanger that has an improved fluid temperature drop for its relativesize.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] According to the present invention there is provided a lowprofile heat exchanger that includes a fin plate having opposite facingfirst and second sides and including a plurality of spaced apartelongate fins that extend outward from the first side and define aplurality of elongate passages that are open facing on the second side,and a low profile container having spaced apart cover and shim platessealably joined about peripheral edges thereof and defining a fluidconducting chamber, the container having an inlet opening and an outletopening in communication with the fluid conducting chamber. The firstside of the fin plate is mounted to the shim plate to permit thermaltransfer therebetween and the second side of the fin plate is exposed.

[0006] According to another aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a low profile heat exchanger that includes an extruded finplate having a planar support wall with opposite facing first and secondsides and including a plurality of spaced apart elongate fins thatextend outward from the second side and define a plurality of passagesthat are open facing away from the second side, and a separately formedlow profile cover plate having a substantially planar central portionthat is spaced apart from the first side of the support wall, the coverplate and support wall being joined about peripheral edges thereof anddefining a fluid conducting chamber therebetween with an inlet openingand an outlet opening in communication with the fluid conducting chamberto permit a fluid to pass into, through, and out of the fluid conductingchamber.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described,by way of example with reference to the following drawings.

[0008]FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a heat exchangeraccording to an embodiment of the invention.

[0009]FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the lines II-II of FIG. 1.

[0010]FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the heat exchanger of FIG. 1.

[0011]FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing the turbulizerplate of the heat exchanger of FIG. 1

[0012]FIG. 5 is an enlarged scrap view of the portion of FIG. 4indicated by circle 5 in FIG. 4.

[0013]FIG. 6 is a plan view of the turbulizer plate of FIG. 4.

[0014]FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the heat exchanger of FIG. 1

[0015]FIG. 8 is a top plan view of a shim plate used in an embodiment ofthe heat exchanger.

[0016]FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the lines IX-IX of FIG. 8.

[0017]FIG. 10 is a top plan view of a skeletal barrier plate used in anembodiment of the heat exchanger.

[0018]FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the lines XI-XI of FIG.10.

[0019]FIG. 12 is a top plan view of a heat exchanger according toanother embodiment of the invention.

[0020]FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along the lines XIII-XIII ofFIG. 12.

[0021]FIG. 14 is a bottom plan view of the heat exchanger of FIG. 12.

[0022]FIG. 15 is a bottom plan view of an alternative fin plate for usewith embodiments of the heat exchanger of the present invention.

[0023]FIG. 16 is a side elevational view of the fin plate of FIG. 15.

[0024]FIG. 17 is a bottom plan view of a further alternative fin plate.

[0025]FIG. 18 is a top plan view of yet a further cover plate for usewith the heat exchanger of the present invention.

[0026]FIG. 19 is a top plan view of a further embodiment of a heatexchanger according to the present invention.

[0027]FIG. 20 is a sectional view taken along the lines XX-XX of FIG.19.

[0028]FIG. 21 is an exploded perspective view of another embodiment of aheat exchanger according to the present invention ad FIG. 21A is apartial sectional view of an assembled portion of the heat exchangertaken along lines XXIA-XXIA of FIG. 21.

[0029]FIG. 22 is a top plan view of a further embodiment of a heatexchanger according to the present invention.

[0030] FIGS. 23A-23C are sectional views taken along the lineXXIII-XXIII of FIG. 22, each showing a different possible cover plateand shim plate combination according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

[0031]FIG. 24 is a top plan view of a further embodiment. of a heatexchanger according to the present invention.

[0032] FIGS. 25 is sectional views taken along the line XXV-XXV of FIG.24.

[0033]FIG. 26 is a side elevational view of the heat exchanger of FIG.24.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0034] With reference to FIG. 1, there is shown an exploded view of aheat exchanger, indicated generally by reference numeral 10, according apreferred embodiment of the invention. The heat exchanger 10 includes abottom fin plate 12, a shim plate 14, a turbulizer plate 16, and a coverplate 18. The plates are shown vertically arranged in FIG. 1, but thisis for the purposes of explanation only. The heat exchanger can have anyorientation desired.

[0035] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the cover plate 18 together with theshim plate 14 define a flattened, low profile container having aninternal fluid conducting chamber 24. The cover plate 18 includes acentral planar portion 20 that is generally rectangular in theillustrated embodiment. A sidewall flange 22 is provided around all fourperipheral edges of the central planar portion 20. The sidewall flange22 extends towards the shim plate 14 providing a continuous sidewallabout the fluid conducting chamber 24 that is defined between the coverplate 18 and the shim plate 14. Outwardly extending connecting flanges26 are preferably provided along the bottom edges of at least one pairof opposing wall portions of the sidewall flange 22. Each connectingflange 26 has a planar surface 27 that abuts against and is secured tothe shim plate 14.

[0036] A pair of fluid flow openings 28 and 30, one of which functionsas a fluid inlet and the other of which is a fluid outlet, are providedthrough the central planar portion 20 in communication with the fluidconducting chamber 24. In one embodiment, cylindrical fittings 32, 34having flow passages therethrough are provided for openings 28,30. Thefittings -32, 34 may have annular flanges 36 sealably connecting thefittings to the cover plate 18.

[0037] In a preferred embodiment the cover plate 18 is of unitaryconstruction and made of roll formed or stamped aluminum alloy that isbraze clad.

[0038] The shim plate 14 is simply a flat plate having a first planarside that faces an inner side of the central planar portion 20 of thecover plate 18, and an opposite planar side 37 that faces and isconnected to the fin plate 12. The shim plate 14 is substantiallyrectangular in the illustrated embodiment, having a footprint that isapproximately the same as the footprint of the cover plate 18. Shimplate 14 is, in a preferred embodiment, made from a braze clad aluminumor aluminum alloy sheet.

[0039] The fin plate 12 is, in one preferred embodiment, a unitarystructure formed from extruded aluminum or aluminum alloy. The fin plate12 includes a flat support wall 38 having a first planar side 40 facingand secured to the shim plate 14, and an opposite facing side 42 onwhich is provided a plurality of elongate, parallel fins 44. Mountingflanges 46 having securing openings 48 therethrough may be providedalong opposite side edges of the support wall 38 to allow the heatexchanger to be mounted to a surface.

[0040] With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the fins 44 each runsubstantially from a first end to a second end of the support wall 38,and define a plurality of elongate passages 50 therebetween. The side ofthe fin plate 12 facing away from the shim plate 14 is open such thatalternating fins 44 and passages 50 are exposed so that ,in use, air canflow through the passages 50 and over fins 44. In some applications,other substances such as water and snow and other debris may be thrownagainst the exposed fins and passages. In the heat exchanger shown inFIGS. 1-3, the fins 44 are straight fins, that each extend a uniformdistance at a perpendicular angle from the outer planar side 42 of thefin support wall 38, and which run from one end to an opposite end ofthe heat exchanger.

[0041] The turbulizer plate 16 is located in the fluid conductingchamber 24 to augment fluid flow therein and thereby increase theefficiency of heat removal from the fluid. With reference to FIGS. 4,5,6 and 7, in a preferred embodiment, the turbulizer plate 16 is formed ofexpanded metal, namely aluminum, either by roll forming or a stampingoperation. Staggered or offset transverse rows of convolutions 64 areprovided on turbulizer plate 16. The convolutions have flat bottoms andtops 66 to provide good bonds with cover plate 18 and shim plate 14,although they could have round tops, or be in a sine wave configuration,if desired. Part of one of the transverse rows of convolutions 64 iscompressed or roll formed or crimped together to form transverse crimpedportions 68 and 69 (crimped, as used herein, is intended to includecrimping, stamping, roll forming or any other method of closing up theconvolutions in the turbulizer plate 16) . Crimped portions 68,69 form abarrier 62 to reduce short-circuit flow inside the fluid conductingchamber 24. The barrier 62 is represented using phantom lines in FIG. 7,and runs between the flow openings 28 and 30 so that fluid entering atone opening 28 or 30 simply cannot take a straight path through theconvolutions 64 in the fluid chamber 24 and exit at the other flowopening 30 or 28, but rather must take a more circuitous route. In theillustrated embodiment in which the two flow openings 28, 30 are locatednear a common end 60, the barrier 62 extends from close to the commonend 60 to a point 72 that is set off from the opposite end 58 of theheat exchanger 10 such that a substantial portion of the fluid flowinginto the chamber 24 from opening 28 must flow in a U-shaped flow patharound point 72, as indicated by arrow 74, prior to exiting the chamber24 through opening 30 (in the case where opening 28 is the inlet andopening 30 is the outlet for chamber 24). In a preferred embodiment, thecover plate 18 and the shim plate 14 are formed from braze cladaluminum, and the heat exchanger 10 is constructed by assembling theparts in the order shown in FIG. 1, clamping the parts together andapplying heat to the assembled components in a brazing oven, therebysealably brazing the cover plate side wall flange 22 about its lower endto the shim plate 14 with the turbulizer plate 16 sandwiched between thecover plate 18 and shim plate 14, and brazing the shim plate 14 to thesupport wall 38 of the fin plate 12. Soldering could, in someapplications, be used in place of brazing fro connecting the componentstogether. Other metallic materials, for example steel, and non-metallicpolymer materials could be used to form some or all of the components ofthe heat exchanger for some embodiments. Polymer components could bethermally bonded together, ultrasonically bonded, or bonded usingadhesive or other means.

[0042] The heat exchanger 10 can conveniently be used as a low-profiledevice for cooling a fluid that passes through the fluid flow containerdefined by the cover plate 18 and shim plate 14, with heat from fluidbeing conducted away from the fluid to exposed fins 44, which in turnare cooled by air passing there through. In some applications, thecooling of exposed fins 44 is assisted by other substances such as snowand water that gets thrown against the exposed fins 44. The heatexchanger 10 can be used, for example, as an engine coolant cooler in asnowmobile, or as an underbody mounted fuel cooler in an automotiveapplication, although these examples are not exhaustive.

[0043] The heat exchanger 10 can be manufactured in different sizesrelatively easily by extruding longer fin plates 12 and roll formingcorrespondingly longer shim and cover plates 14,18. Although the coverplate 18 has been described above as having an integrally formedsidewall flange 22, in some embodiments, separate sidewalls may be used.Furthermore, in some embodiments, shim plate 14 could be omitted, and inits place the upper side of the support wall 38 used as the bottom wallfor the fluid conducting chamber 24. Although the heat exchanger 10 hasbeen illustrated as being rectangular, it could also have differentshapes - for example it could have a circular disc-like configuration insome applications.

[0044] A variety of different types of turbulizers or flow augmentationmeans can be used in the fluid conducting chamber 24, and in someapplications, the turbulizer plate 16 may not be present. Furthermore, ashort-circuit barrier different than crimped barrier 62 could be used insome embodiments. In this regard, FIGS. 8 and 9 show a further shimplate 78 that could be used in place of shim plate 14 in the heatexchanger 10. The shim plate 78 has a central elongate baffle wall 80extending transversely upward therefrom to the cover plate 18 (not shownin FIG. 8). The baffle wall 80 is positioned between locations at whichthe flow openings 28 and 30 are provided through the cover plate 18(such locations being illustrated by the phantom lines 28′ and 30′ inFIG. 8) such that baffle wall causes the fluid in chamber 24 to followan indirect U-shaped flow path as indicated by flow arrow 82. The baffle80 is preferably formed from a portion of the shim plate 78 that hasbeen stamped out along three side. edges and then pivoted upwards abouta fourth side edge that remains connected to the rest of the shim plate78, leaving a rectangular opening 84 through the shim plate 78 that issealably blocked by the support wall 38. Separate turbulizer plates canbe located on opposite sides of the baffle wall 80.

[0045]FIGS. 10 and 11 show a skeletal baffle plate 86 that can be usedin place turbulizer plate 16 between shim plate 15 and cover plate 18 ina further alternative embodiment of heat exchanger 10. The positions offlow openings 28 and 30 relative to the skeletal baffle plate 86 areillustrated by phantom lines 28′and 30′in FIG. 10. The skeletal baffleplate 86 includes an outer rectangular frame 88 that is dimensioned tosnugly fit within the sidewall flange 22 of the cover plate 18. Theskeletal baffle plate 86 has a height H (see FIG. 1 1) that conforms tothe height of the fluid chamber 24, and includes alternatingsubstantially parallel baffle walls 90,92. Baffle walls 90 extend from afirst end wall 94 near where the flow openings 28, 30 are positioned, toclose to an opposite end wall 96. Alternating baffle walls 92 extendfrom the opposite end wall 96 to close to the first end wall 94, suchthat baffle walls 90 and 92 collectively define a serpentine back andforth flow path through the fluid chamber 24, as illustrated by flowarrows 98 in FIG. 10 (which assume that opening 28 is the higherpressure opening). In alternative embodiments, baffle walls such asthose provided by skeletal baffle plate 86 could instead be provided byembossed ribs formed on the shim plate 14 or on the cover plate 18 or onboth, and in many applications embossed ribs on the cover and/or shimplate will be preferred to a separate baffle plate as it reduces thenumber of components that need to be assembled. Numerous examples ofembossed cover plate configurations suitable for use with the heatexchanger 10 are presented below.

[0046] In some applications, it may be desirable to use a fin plate thatis lighter weight than extruded fin plate 12. With reference to Figure.12-14, a further embodiment of a low profile heat exchanger, indicatedgenerally by reference numeral 100, is shown in accordance with anotherpreferred embodiment of the invention. The heat exchanger 100 is similarto heat exchanger 10, except for differences that will be apparent fromthe following description. Heat exchanger 100 has a generallyrectangular footprint, and as best seen in Figure. 13, similar to heatexchanger 10, is a lamination of a fin plate 102, a shim plate 104, anda cover plate 106. In the illustrated embodiment, the cover plate 106includes a rectangular central planar ribbed portion 108 that is rollformed or stamped from braze clad aluminum or aluminum alloy. A sidewallflange 110 extends continuously about an outer periphery of the centralplanar portion 108 towards the shim plate 104, with an out-turned edge112 of the sidewall flange 110 having a planer portion facing andsealably connected to the shim plate 104. The shim plate 104 and coverplate 106 of the heat exchanger 100 collectively define therebetween afluid conducting chamber 113 that includes a flow path between a firstflow opening 114 and a second flow opening 116 that are provided throughthe cover plate 106 at diagonally opposite corners thereof. On of theflow openings 114, 116 is a fluid inlet into the fluid conductingchamber 113, and the other is a fluid outlet. In the embodimentillustrated, each opening 114, 116 is provided with a correspondingfitting 122 that is brazed to the cover plate 106 and which has a flowpassage through it that is parallel to the plane of central portion 108.

[0047] The flow path between the openings 114,116 is broken up into aserpentine back and forth route by alternating embossed baffle ribs 118and 120 formed in the central portion 108 of the cover plate 106. Inparticular spaced apart parallel ribs 118 extend from a first end 124 ofthe cover plate 106 to close to, but spaced apart from the opposite end126 of the cover plate 106. Alternating parallel ribs 120 extend fromthe end 126 to close to, but spaced apart from the first end 124. Asbest seen in FIG. 13, each of the ribs 118,120 includes a pair ofopposed elongated sidewalls 128 that are joined together along theirdistal edges by a flat portion 130 having a planar surface for forming agood bond with the shim plate 104.

[0048] Brackets 132 may be brazed to the cover plate 108 to permit theheat exchanger 100 to be fastened in place. The brackets 132 shown inFIGS. 12 and 13 each have a substantially rectangular central body witha portion that extends beyond the cover plate having a securing hole 134therethrough. The bracket center body 132 located on the cover plate 108is dimensioned to run between two adjacent ribs 120, 118, and preferablyincludes opposed positioning tabs 136 that extend into the ribs 120, 118to assist in positioning and securing the bracket 132 in place. In someapplications, due to its lightweight configuration, the heat exchangermay be sufficiently supported by tubing connected to the inlet andoutlet fittings, and additional brackets not required.

[0049] The shim plate 112 is simply a flat rectangular plate formed frombraze clad aluminum or aluminum alloy. The fin plate 102 is secured to aside of the shim plate 1 12 that is opposite the fluid chamber 113 fordrawings heat away from the fluid chamber, and is substantiallyrectangular, covering substantially the entire shim plate. The fin plate102 has one side that is secured to the shim plate 104 and an oppositeside that is exposed. As best seen in the sectional view of FIG. 13 andthe bottom plan view of FIG. 14, the fin plate 102 includes a pluralityof spaced apart elongated hollow fins 138 that extend outward from andrun the length of the shim plate 104, each formed by a generallyU-shaped wall. The fins 138 define a plurality of open faced airpassageways 140, that are spaced apart by closed-face passageways 142located within each fin 138. The transverse ends of the fin plate 102may be open so that the closed-face passageways 142 are open at oppositeends thereof. Each of the U-shaped fins 138 is connected to an adjacentfin 138 by a planar connecting wall 144 that is secured by brazing tothe shim plate 104. In effect, the U-shaped fins 138 and connectingwalls 144 collectively form a square-corner corrugation. As seen in FIG.14, the fins 138 are formed to have a uniform size, but with softundulating curves along their length to assist in interrupting theboundary layer of any air flowing therethrough. The fins 138 arepreferably light-weight and roll-formed or stamped from aluminum oraluminum alloy. In the illustrated embodiment, the alternatingopen-faced and closed-face passages 140,142 each have substantially thesame cross-sectional area , however different relative areas could beused depending on the application. Also, different fin profiles couldalso be used, for example, V-shaped fins could be used.

[0050]FIG. 15 shows an example of a further fin plate structure 146 thatcould be used on the underside of shim plate 14, 104 of the heatexchangers 10, 100. The fin plate 146 has a first side 148 that isbrazed to the shim plate, and a second exposed side 150. A plurality ofopen-faced air passageways 152 run from a first end 154 to a second end156 of the fin plate 146 between elongate fin structures that are madeup of staggered or offset transverse rows of convolutions 158. Theconvolutions have flat tops 160 to provide good bonds with the shimplate 14,104, although they could have round tops, or be in a sine waveconfiguration, if desired. In a preferred embodiment, the fin plate 146is formed of expanded metal, namely aluminum, either by roll forming ora stamping operation.

[0051]FIG. 17 shows a bottom view of yet another possible fin plateconfiguration. The fin plate 162 of FIG. 17 is the same as fin plate102, except that the hollow U-shaped fins 164 (which define spaced-apartopen-faced passages 166), are arranged in back and forth herringbonepattern.

[0052] In addition to the cover plates 18, 106 described above, manyother planar cover plate configurations are possible. By way of example,FIG. 18 illustrates a further possible cover plate 168 according to thepresent invention that is identical to the cover plate 18, with theexception that the alternating embossed ribs 170 and 172 extend in adirection that is relatively perpendicular to the ribs 118 and 120 ofcover plate 106, and the ribs 118 and 120 each formed with undulatingcurves along there length, defining a transverse serpentine flow path asillustrate by arrows 174 between flow openings 114 and 116. Instead ofthe embossed baffle ribs being formed on the cover plate, they couldalternatively be formed on the shim plate, in which case the shim platewould have a plan view similar to that shown in FIG. 18, but withoutflow openings formed therethrough. Alternatively, both the cover plateand shim plate could have embossed ribs formed thereon that sealablyabut together to define the flow path through the fluid chamber, inwhich case both the cover and shim plate would have a top and bottomplan view, respectively, similar to the plan view of FIG. 18 (with theshim plate not having flow openings therethrough), with the embossedribs 170,172 on each of the cover and shim plate each having a depth ofabout one-half the fluid chamber height. It will be appreciated thatmany different patterns of embossed ribs. and other types of embossedflow augmenters or barriers could be provided the cover or shim plates.

[0053] By way of example, FIGS. 19 and 20 show a further heat exchanger190 that is substantially identical to heat exchanger 100, except thatit has a cover plate 192 in which are embossed a plurality of dimples194. The dimples 194 extend to and engage the shim plate 104, therebyproviding flow augmentation in the fluid chamber 113.

[0054] Yet another heat exchanger, indicated generally by referencenumeral 200, is shown in exploded view in FIG. 21. Heat exchanger 200 issubstantially identical to heat exchanger 100, with the exception ofdifferences that are apparent from the drawings and the followingdescription. The cover plate 202 of heat exchanger 200 does not includeembossed ribs thereon for defining the flow path within fluid chamber113, but rather, a corrugated baffle plate 204 (formed from aluminum ofanother suitable material) is secured in the fluid chamber 113 betweenthe cover plate 202 and shim plate 104. The corrugated baffle plate 204includes a plurality of substantially parallel pairs of first and secondbarrier walls 206A,206B that run from one end 208 to an opposite end 210of the fluid chamber 113. The barrier walls 206A and 206B in each pairare joined together along upper first longitudinal edges thereof by aplanar wall that abuts against and is secured to the inside of the coverplate 202. (Orientational terms like “upper” and “horizontal” being usedherein for explanatory purposes only as the heat exchanger can have anyorientation in use). The pairs of barrier walls are joined togetheralong their lower edges by a further wall 214 that abuts against and issecured to the shim plate 104 - in particular, the barrier wall 206B ofone pair is connected at the lower edge thereof to lower edge of thebarrier wall 206A of the adjacent barrier wall pair. A transverse flowopening 216 is provided at the end of each barrier wall 206A near theend 208 of the heat exchanger, and a transverse flow opening 218 isprovided. at the end of each barrier wall 206B near the opposite end 210of the heat exchanger 200. Thus, parallel alternating flow passages aredefined in fluid chamber 113 by the barrier walls 206A, 206B, with thebarrier wall openings 216, 218 permitting serpentine back and forthfluid flow through the passages form one flow opening 116 to the otherflow opening 114 (or vice versa, depending on which is the highpressure. opening).

[0055] With reference to FIG. 21A, in one embodiment, the corrugatedbarrier plate 204 includes planar horizontal portions 220 forming itsouter longitudinal edges, and the portions 220 are sandwiched betweenthe lower connecting flange 26 of the cover plate 202 and the shim plate104. [0055] With reference to FIGS. 22-23C, further alternative coverplate and shim plate configurations for the heat exchanger 200 will nowbe discussed. Turning first to FIGS. 22 and 23A, in one embodiment thecover plate 230 is dish shaped, having a central planar portion 240having an integral, peripheral, downwardly extending flange 242 thatdefines an angle of slightly greater than 90 degrees with respect to aninner surface of central planar portion 240. The shim plate 236 isidentical, except that it does not have openings 116,114 formedtherethrough, and the downwardly extending flange 244 of the shim plate236 is nested within and supported by the flange 242 of the cover plate240, with fluid chamber 113 being defined between the planar centralportions of cover plate 240 and shim plate 236. The fin plate 102 (shownhaving fins with rounded corrugations rather than square) is secured toa lower surface of the planar central portion of the shim plate 244. Theshim plate flange 244 could be truncated just at or under the bottomedge of cover plate flange 242 to minimize any adverse effect on airflow through fin plate 102.

[0056]FIG. 23B shows a similar configuration, except that the shim plate238 has an upwardly turned peripheral flange 246 that extends in theopposite direction of cover plate flange 242, and which has an outersurface that is nested within and brazed to an inner surface of coverplate flange 242. The configurations shown in FIGS. 23A and 23B could beeasily “flipped over” with the fin plate being placed on the oppositeside, as shown by phantom line 102′ in FIG. 23B. Furthermore, in someembodiments, fin plates may be used on both sides of the heat exchanger.

[0057]FIG. 23C shows a further configuration in which the cover plate234 and shim plate 248 are identical (except that there are no flowopenings in the shim plate), each having an abutting flange 250,252formed about a central planar portion thereof.

[0058]FIG. 24 shows a further heat exchanger 260 that is identical toheat exchanger 100 except for the differences noted below. The coverplate 262 of heat exchanger 260 includes a plurality of air flowopenings 264 punched therethrough. Each of the openings 264 is alignedwith a respective opening 268 provided through the shim plate 266. Eachcover plate air flow opening 264 is surrounded by a wall 265 about itsperipheral edge that extends from the cover plate to the shim plate toseal the air opening off from the fluid chamber 113. The walls 265 arepreferably extruded from the cover plate material when the openings 264are punched. Aligned openings 264, 268 are located at areas where thefin plate 102 does not contact the shim plate, so that the alignedopenings are not completely blocked by the fin plate 102. In someembodiments, corresponding openings may be punched through the fin plate102. As illustrated in FIG. 26, in use, air can flow through theopenings 268,264, thereby allowing air to flow through sealed offsections of the fluid container defined by the shim and cover plates. Asindicated in FIG. 26, the heat exchanger may be angled relative to thedirection of travel (arrow 270) in some applications to improveperformance by increasing the attack angle at which air hits the finplate 102.

[0059] Many components of the heat exchanger of the present inventionhave been described as being made from aluminum or aluminum alloy,however it will be appreciated that other metals could suitably be usedto form the components, and in some applications non-metallic materialsmight be used, including for example thermally bondable, ultrasonicallybondable, and adhesive bondable polymers. As will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art, many alterations and modifications are possible inthe practice of this invention without departing from the spirit orscope thereof. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to beconstrued in accordance with the substance defined by the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A low profile heat exchanger comprising: a finplate having opposite facing first and second sides and including aplurality of spaced apart elongate fins that extend outward from thefirst side and define a plurality of elongate passages that are openfacing on the second side; and a low profile container having spacedapart cover and shim plates sealably joined about peripheral edgesthereof and defining a fluid conducting chamber, the container having aninlet opening and an outlet opening in communication with the fluidconducting chamber, wherein the first side of the fin plate is mountedto the shim plate to permit thermal transfer between the low profilecontainer and the fin plate, and the second side of the fin plate isexposed.
 2. The heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein the shim plate is aplanar sheet and the cover plate has a substantially planar centralportion and an integral sidewall flange provided about a peripheral edgeof the central portion extending towards and sealably connected to theshim plate.
 3. The heat exchanger of claim 2 wherein a lateralconnecting flange is provided at a peripheral edge of the sidewallflange, the connecting flange having a planar surface that abuts and isconnected to the shim plate.
 4. The heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein aturbulizer having rows of fluid flow augmenting convolutions is locatedin the fluid conducting chamber.
 5. The heat exchanger of claim 4wherein a plurality of the convolutions are crimped to provide a barrierto direct fluid flow between the inlet and outlet openings.
 6. The heatexchanger of claim 1 wherein a skeletal frame having a plurality ofbarrier walls is located in the fluid conducting chamber providing aserpentine flow path therethrough between the inlet and outlet openings.7. The heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein at least one of the cover plateand the shim plate has a plurality of embossed ribs formed thereon thatextend into the fluid conducting chamber providing a serpentine flowpath therethrough between the inlet and outlet openings.
 8. The heatexchanger of claim 1 wherein the fin plate is a corrugated plate withthe elongate fins defining open-ended passages that face the shim plateand that alternate with the passages that are open facing.
 9. The heatexchanger of claim 8 wherein the fins are U-shaped in transversecross-section, and are joined by connecting walls that are brazed orsoldered to the shim plate.
 10. The heat exchanger of claim 9 whereinthe fins are longitudinally curved in alternating directions to break aboundary layer of air flowing therethrough.
 11. The heat exchanger ofclaim 9 wherein the fins are longitudinally angled in alternatingdirections in a herringbone-type pattern to break a boundary layer ofair flowing therethrough.
 12. The heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein eachfin is a longitudinal row of generally U-shaped transverse convolutionsprovided in the fin plate, at least some of the convolutions in each rowbeing transversely offset along the row relative to other convolutionsin the row.
 13. The heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein the inlet andoutlet openings are formed through the cover plate in locations opposingthe shim plate.
 14. The heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein the fin plateincludes a planar support wall defining the first side from which thefins extend, the shim plate having a portion that is partially separatedfrom a rest of the shim plate and bent to project into the fluidconducting chamber for providing flow circuiting therein.
 15. The heatexchanger of claim 1 wherein a plurality of dimples extend inwardly fromthe cover plate into the fluid conducting chamber for augmenting fluidflow therein.
 16. The heat exchanger of claim 1 including a corrugatedbaffle plate located in the fluid conducting chamber for circuiting flowtherethrough, the baffle plate including a plurality of parallel bafflewalls extending substantially from a first end to a second end of thefluid conducting chamber defining a plurality of parallel flow pathstherethrough, a flow opening being provided in each of the baffle wallsto circuit fluid through the fluid conducting chamber.
 17. The heatexchanger of claim 1 wherein the cover plate and shim plate each haveplanar central portions peripherally surrounded by an integral sidewallflange, the sidewall flange of one of the cover and shim plate beingnested within and sealably connected to the sidewall flange of theother.
 18. The heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein the cover plate andshim plate each have a planar central portion peripherally surrounded byan integral sidewall flange that is peripherally surrounded by a lateralconnecting flange, the connecting flanges of the cover plate and shimplate having sealably connected abutting planar surfaces.
 19. The heatexchanger of claim 1 wherein a plurality of air flow passages thatextend through the shim plate, the fluid conducting chamber and thecover plate, are provided through the low profile container, the airflow passages each being sealed from the fluid conducting chamber. 20.The heat exchanger of claim 19 wherein the fin plate defines airpassages which are in flow communication with the air flow passagesthrough the low profile container.
 21. A low profile heat exchangercomprising: an extruded fin plate having a planar support wall withopposite facing first and second sides and including a plurality ofspaced apart elongate fins that extend outward from the second side anddefine a plurality of passages that are open facing away from the secondside; and a separately formed low profile cover plate having asubstantially planar central portion that is spaced apart from the firstside of the support wall, the cover plate having an integral sidewallflange about a peripheral edge thereof, the sidewall flange extendingtowards the support wall and having a lateral connecting flange at anextending edge thereof, the connecting flange having a substantiallyplanar surface that is sealably connected to the first side of thesupport wall, a fluid conducting chamber being defined between the coverplate and the support wall with an inlet opening and an outlet openingin communication with the fluid conducting chamber to permit a fluid topass into, through, and out of the fluid conducting chamber.